Mobile communication systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Various mobile devices now incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, calculators, memo and writing programs, etc. These multi-function devices usually allow users to send and receive electronic mail (email) messages wirelessly and access the internet via a cellular network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.
Some mobile devices incorporate contactless card technology and/or Near Field Communication chips. Near Field Communication technology is commonly used for contactless short-range communications based on radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, using magnetic field induction to enable communication between electronic devices, including mobile wireless communications devices. These short-range communications include payment and ticketing, electronic keys, identification, device set-up service and similar information sharing. This short-range high frequency wireless communication technology exchanges data between devices over a short distance, such as only a few centimeters.
Some mobile wireless communications devices are designed to be inserted into a holster. Specially placed magnets trigger a sensor in the mobile wireless communications device to place the device in a holstered mode in which the phone is disabled and in an idle state, i.e., a locked, operating mode.